The Budweiser Duels at Daytona are in the books — with Kevin Harvick backing up his win in the Sprint Unlimited with victory in the Duel No. 1, and Kyle Busch taking the checkered flag in Duel No. 2.

After finishing 17th in the first Duel, Danica Patrick’s spot on Sunday’s pole position is safe — she earned that right in last weekend’s qualifying session. Jeff Gordon will start second on Sunday. Beyond that, the starting lineup is largely based on how the drivers finished Thursday.

You couldn't have for a more beautiful day at Daytona for rcing. Blue skies, 73 degrees, decent crowd and bright, new cars that were ready to roar. Among the 45 drivers trying to qualify for the Great American Race, Brian Keselowski and Mike Bliss were the two that failed to make the field.

Lap 36: DB has dropped to 12th. He better pick it up or he's going to be taking Danica out to dinner.

Lap 35: Danica on top of hauler watching race. Wonder who she's watching?

Lap 31: This is the first we've seen of Jeff Gordon since he wrecked early in Unlimited, but he looks strong out front.Race has reached its halfway point.

Lap 30: Kyle Busch makes a bid for the lead, but no one goes with him. He may be a lonely boy come Sunday.

Lap 28: Buzz words are tame and lame. Get with it boys.

Lap 25: That near-wreck with Menard and Kenseth caused the second pack to lose the lead draft again. DB (that's Danica's Boyfriend, if you're late to the party) and gang will have to mount another run.

Lap 23: Kenseth and Menard nearly caused a big one.

Lap 22: A second draft of Paul Menard, Jamie McMurray, DB and Bowyer have caught lead draft and are coming fast.

Lap 20: Jeff Gordon looks stout, but I think Matt Kenseth is laying in the weeds and playing possum. Dollar General may still cash a check before this is over.

Lap 16: The top eight cars have broken away in the lead draft—and it doesn't include DB. Danica is sad.

Lap 15: RCR teammates Austin Dillon and Jeff Burton are suddenly third and fourth. Where'd they come from?But we know their cars are good, considering Harvick won the first Duel.

Lap 14: Danica's boyfriend, or henceforth "DB", has fallen back to 17th. He learned that from you know who.

Lap 12: Now Mike Bliss, who must finish in the top 15 to make race, has lost his window net and been black-flagged. What is going on with windows today?Martin Truex Jr. black-flagged in first race for missing a side window.

Lap 10: They've settled down into a single-file line and started to ride. Copy cats.

Lap 6: The color of this race is Yellow, as in Kenseth, Kyle, Logano and Stenhouse. Watch them. They will flash their colors at the front soon.

Lap 5: Danica's boyfriend is running fifth. Forgot his name.

Lap 3: Ryan Newman lost the draft and fell all the way to 16th. This race already is shaping up as more exciting and more action than first.

Lap 1: Expect Jeff Gordon and Kasey Kahne to hook up and try to draft together in this race. Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth also will be big factors.

Pace Lap: One of these races is usually tame, and the other one is wild. Was the first one tame? Only one wreck. Might see the Big One this time.

Postrace: Scott Speed also made the Daytona 500 due to Truex's penalty for a missing side window.

Postrace: Edwards recounted the wreck from Lap 52, saying he was riding along "minding my own business" and Hamlin got sideways. He said it was the fourth time he has wrecked during Speedweeks before they Daytona 500. His second wreck this week. "I know what the wrecks look like now."

Postrace: Waltrip: "That was intense. ... There's a lot of people up in Connecticut with a smile on their faces. I'm proud to get in the race for them." Waltrip is driving for the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting victims in Newtown, Conn.

Lap 60: Harvick wins, with Biffle seond, Montoya and Johnson. Two-time champion Michael Waltrip raced his way into the 500 with his 15th-place finish.

Lap 60: Truex got black-flagged for no side window.

Lap 58: Looks like they want to wreck. White flag.

Lap 58: They're three-wide and stacked up at the front ... meanwhile, Danica is putting around.

Lap 57: Biffle is making a charge on restart. He couldn't do anything with Harvick the other night.

Lap 56: Meanwhile, Harvick, Biffle, Truex and Johnson resting up for a mad dash to the finish. The wreck may have saved this race and guaranteed us a thrilling conclusion.

Lap 55: Regan Smith also involved. Now he could be in trouble. Didn't qualify well, and that team was way back in points last year. The car that Kurt Busch wrecked a bunch last year.

Lap 55: The trouble with these live blogs—no time for a snack. At your service.

Lap 54: Bayne also got a piece of that. A shame; he was running well. He will be fine, though. Qualified third and will be in Daytona 500.

Lap 53: Under caution. Edwards appeared to drift up the track and Hamlin got into him, sending them both for a spin.

Lap 52: Crash. Edwards, Hamlin! There are others, but clearly, these two took the most damage.

Lap 51: Despite her poor showing—or conservative strategy—we will talk to Danica and have a Danica story later this afternoon. Just as soon as she does her hair and makeup.

Lap 50: Ten to go and Harvick is the man to beat. Let's hope somebody does something crazy and saves this stinker.

Lap 48: Pit stops didn't help Danica any. She's lost the draft again and is way behind the pack, running 18th. Playing it safe, but she can't be happy with this. She's getting no experience in the draft.

Lap 46: Trevor Bayne said Harvick crowded him when he ran through the grass on pit road. It hurt him—he has lost the lead draft and dropped back to 11th.

Lap 45: The top four—Harvick, Biffle, Truex and Johnson—have broken away in a four-car draft. The rest of the field is pretty far back.

Lap 42: After pit stops, Harvick is back out front followed by Biffle, Truex, Johnson and Mears.

Lap 41: The field pits—Harvick, Bayne, Truex, Junior, Hamlin, Stewart, Danica. Danica is getting a track-bar adjustment to help her car handle better. Some took two tires, some four.

Lap 39: Harvick is driving a different car than he won the Sprint Unlimited with, but it appears to be just as strong. He drove to the front and took the lead.

Lap 35: Harvick to the lead as they start to stack up three-wide. Radio guys are about to bust a gut, and those are some big guts. Now we've got some racing.

Lap 33: They're starting to mix it up in the middle of the pack. Kevin Harvick is flexing some muscle and starting to move toward the front. Thanks for listening, guys. Here they come ...

Lap 30: My dad used to say they were "running like a scalded dog." Today, they're running like scared cats. Can someone mix it up, please?

Lap 25: So, who wants to see 'em bring back the two-car draft? C'mon, all at once now—"tandem, tandem, tandem." So far, this is B-O-R-I-N-G!

Lap 22: Here's the danger in dropping to the rear of the field and riding: Danica has now lost the draft. She must wait for a pit stop and hope someone will help her catch the draft. She's just out of a Thursday afternoon drive.

Lap 20: Just for the record, Danica is not the only one who has dropped to the rear. Stewart, Hamlin and Johnson also are back there.

Lap 15: They're doing what they call "riding." The whole field is single file—just ride. It's too early, with 45 laps to go, and everyone is scared of wrecking and losing a car.

Lap 13: Top three are Trevor Bayne, Casey Mears and Martin Truex Jr. Who would have guessed that? Could we be in for a 2011-type upset?

Lap 10: Can't believe Danica is told to drop to the back. Know they want to save her car and protect the pole, but this is doing her no good. She needs to learn how to race in these conditions. Poor decision by Stewart-Haas.

Lap 7: Seven laps in, and the high line and outside groove seems to be fastest. Something to watch for later in race.

Lap 1: Trevor Bayne charges to front to lead the first lap. Said it before, it's for real here. Could be another sleeper on Sunday.

PRERACE COVERAGE

2:16: Biggest story as green flag flies: How long can Danica lead? And will teammate Tony Stewart go with her and keep her out front?

2:15: One of the old-school radio broadcasters used to always say about right now: "The excitement is building. ... My heart is about to jump out of my chest." It's become a running joke in the press box as the green flag approaches. ... My heart is about to jump out of my chest! ... Hope it doesn't cause a caution.

2:09 p.m.: Danica says team co-owner Gene Haas told her to start-and-park, which prompted her to say, "I'm confused ... no one has instructed me to do that." She said she has no such plans. "I've got to race this one ... Got to know what I have got for Sunday. ... If I do have to drop back, I'll play it safe."

2:08 p.m.: Two drivers to watch in this first race—male drivers—are Michael Waltrip and Kurt Busch. Waltrip, a two-time Daytona 500 winner, must race his way in with an underfunded Swan Racing team. Kurt Busch can't afford to wreck another car. He's trashed two already, and Furniture Row Racing has a limited number.

2:04 p.m.: Nice bluesy rendition of the National Anthem by some unknown singer. Personally, I can't wait for Zac Brown Band concert during prerace on Sunday. They just happened to win the Grammy for Best Country Album.

2 p.m.: Fascinating first Duel for fans. Features Danica, Stewart, Dale Jr., Keselowski and Harvick. A lot of interesting story lines. Can Danica hang up front? Will Tony hang with her? Is Harvick still dominant? Has Junior found any speed? And what does Keselowski have? We have barely seen him so far, other than seeing him try to figure out if these races are Duals or Duels.

1:57 p.m.: Speed interviewed Clint Bowyer, and he actually seemed calm. We were hoping he would be running through the garage area looking for Jeff Gordon. Maybe next week at Phoenix.

1:50 p.m.: Matt Kenseth being interviewed by Wendy Venturini. He looks good in Dollar General yellow, if you can remember his days at Roush Fenway Racing with Dewalt as his primary sponsor.

1:05 p.m.: Danica Patrick, sporting her patented BluBlocker-looking sunglasses, says her strategy today is this: "I want to lead every lap, and that way we don't get in any trouble. And have Tony (Stewart) right behind me."

1 p.m.: NASCAR announced that next year's Budweiser Duels will run under the lights. So, get ready for some prime-time action 365 days from now. In a way though, it's somewhat of a disappointment, at least if you enjoy the tradition of all these Thursday afternoon races.

12:30 p.m.: This from Sporting News' Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass): "Checked in with Jeff Andrews of the Hendrick Motorsports engine department. Both Juan Pablo Montoya's engine failure Friday and Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s on Wednesday were the same issue. But the issue is just with the motors used for qualifying Sunday and today’s qualifying races. He has confidence that the rest of engines have enough miles on them without the issue that they will be good for today. But even if the same issue crops up today, it’s not something that would factor into Sunday’s Daytona 500. All teams are allowed to change engines after today."